A lot of times, I get asked this question as it relates to Social Security (or any other area of law), “When should I get an attorney?”.
One attorney I know gave me an awesome response, he said “The sooner you involve me, the sooner I can do what I can to help you”. Ultimately, what he was saying that if problems arise that require him to have to ‘fix’ a problem, it may become more of a headache. That made a lot of sense.
My response tends to be a little different. My response pretty much rolls this:
“Do you NEED an attorney? You don’t really NEED anyone. If your car breaks down, do you NEED a mechanic. No. If you are sick, do you NEED to go to a doctor? Not necessarily. If your teeth hurt, do you NEED to go to a dentist? Maybe not. HOWEVER, the joy of going to certain professionals is that they have two unique things to their advantage. One, they do this every day! They deal with the day in and day out headaches of having to deal with a particular situation. If you work in corporate america, do you really want to spend all of your time hassling with legal issues or mechanical issues? That’s what these people do every day. Two, they can identify problem areas faster than you in most instances. You can go and get some herbal tea for your cough and it might work. However, if that cough lasts for 2 to 3 weeks, you may not have the ability, expertise, or equipment to determine if your cough is something more severe. A professional can do that for you. So, do you NEED an attorney? Not necessarily. Most legal processes are designed to permit you to navigate the waters yourself. However, if you want piece of mind and the ability to allow someone else to handle it for you, an attorney may be advisable. In the end, when you’re ready for an attorney, just let them know.”
This answer may sound winded but the reality is that a lot of people really have had NO experience with dealing with an attorney and the experience can be overwhelming. They don’t know when they should hire an attorney or IF they should. In end, when you’re thinking about hiring an attorney, talk to one, schedule a consult and then go from there. At least, you will have spoken to one to give you some guidance for the future.
